Mara Jade: fighting the odds
by XMelvdsX
Summary: As Mara Jade prepares for her first assignment she thinks back on her first years at Palpatine's court and fights the temptation of her new fighting instructor who might lead her onto a different path. R&R ps. the story's better than the summary.
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY: As 16-year old Mara Jade prepares for her first assignment she thinks back on her early years with the emperor and battles not to fall for Dane Marsden. Her new shooting instructor.

DISCLAIMER: As my friends keep reminding me, I do not own Star Wars! If I did, you'd think there would've been a certain book called 'sacrifice'?

WARNING: If you expect a sappy love story this isn't the story for you. (But you can still give it a try no?)

The little girl stood amidst the grandeur of the Emperor's personal chambers and looked around.

Growing up (as much as a three year old could grow up) in a small Jedi-refugee camp she had never seen so many things that sparkled and shined. Or such large spaces, or so much candy!

For a moment the horror of the past hours seem completely lost to her, that was until she heard the boots of someone entering the room she was in.

The big scary man with the mask had returned.

The little girl had never seen anything like him before.

Unike her mommy who felt like a big shining light this man felt like the sky at night and other things the girl couldn't quite place but that didn't feel right to her.

Why was she here? She didn't want to be here!

She wanted to be with her mommy who was asleep on the floor right outside their tent.

For a second the two of them just stared at each other, tears were filling the little girl's jade green eyes and her lip started to shiver.

A woman followed inside the room, she didn't look very nice. Not like her mommy had been nice.

She wondered if her mommy had already woken up, she didn't when the little girl had asked her to.

"This is the girl?"

The big scary man nodded and the woman stepped forward to pick her up.

"Don't cry, that's an order. The emperor wants to see you which is a very big honour. One does not cry when she receives this honour. But first we need to make you presentable."

She carried the little girl out of the room into another one, putting her in a bath tub, washing the dirt and blood of the little girl after which she did the girl's hair up and put her in a dress.

"Now. You are ready to see the emperor."

"I don't want to see the emp'or. I want to see my mommy!"

If the woman hadn't already looked evil in the girl's eyes she did now.

"Listen you little brat! Don't you ever dare to speak like that ever again! You will mee the emperor and you'll be happy about it or you'll suffer the consequences."

The little girl was too scared to say something else or even cry.

The woman had needed all her self-control not to let her hand connect with the girl's cheek, knowing this would only set her off even more so.

*-*-*-*-*

When the little girl entered the throne room she was suprised to see even more beauty than the room she had been in before.

At the end of the room a man was sitting on a chair, looking at her intensley.

The little girl stopped, the big scary man with the mask might've felt wrong but this man, this man was ten times worse.

She wasn't scared of is face, she already met enough aliens during her stay at the Jedi-refugee camp and just assumed that this man was one of them.

The man with the mask appeared beside him.

"Are they all dead?"

"Every single one of them. This girl is the last. I found her trying to wake her mother up."

The Emperor laughed but then became quiet again.

"Why didn't you kill her?"

The little girl looked up at those words and the emperor stared right back at her.

Those eyes, jade green and sparkling, her face framed by that slightly curling, red hair.

Even at this young age it was clear this little girl would grow up to be a beauty.

"She's very strong in the force, master. I thought... she might be usefull. If she isn't than we can still kill her, no harm done."

The emperor didn't respond to that, he just stared at the little girl.

He tried to feel her in the force and found her very quickly, she had sensed him trying to sense him and he could detect a hint of fear.

Usefull? How could this little child be usefull to him? Maybe if she were older she could've had a place in his court but now...

Than it hit him.

A young woman in his court, beautiful enough to gain every man's attention.

All those men who would say anything to gain her attention, including their biggest secrets.

If he trained her well she could even use her gift of the force to kill them if those secrets didn't please him.

Than again that power could be used against him as well unless... unless he would take control of her skills. That way he could take them away from her whenever it pleased him.

"What's your name?"

The little girl looked up.

"M...Ma...Mara, mr. Emp'or."

"And your last name?"

"My mommy always called me angel."

The emperor shook his head. "From now on your name is Mara Jade. You'll be taken under my care and do exactly as I tell you to. No questions asked."

He stretched out his hand and the girl looked at him before scanning her surroundings.

Behind her was the evil lady, next to him the masked man.

She had nowhere to go so slowly but certainly she shuffled forwards and let her tiny hand connect with the old wrinkled hand of the emperor.

Falsly supposing that he would protect her from the evil lady and the masked man.

13 YEARS LATER

Before Palpatine's rule, Erisi Celchu had been an etiquette teacher at the court of Alderaan. She still had been one or at least tried to be one afterwards, but fact was that after Palpatine became emperor, most high-class parents appeared to have other ambitions for their little treasures.

Instead of wanting them to become fine, young ladies, parents flaunted their daughters in front of the emperor and his close associates. Hoping their daughters would gain one of them's attention.

The girls became spoiled, undisciplined and heartless as their parents created competition between them.

Hunting had gained a new version and Celchu was glad to be far away from it all.

That was until three weeks ago. She had to her own surprise and fear at the time been invited by the emperor himself.

When he told her about his ward she had been shocked.

When he asked her to take care of her because the previous governess didn't "live up to his standards", she had said yes.

Not because she wanted to. You just didn't say no to the emperor if you valued your life. That and the fact that she was curious let to her current position.

Erisi had expected this girl to be 10 times worse than the other girls at court. She had expected her to be the 'queen-bee' in need of a term.

You can imagine her surprise when she finally met this 'Mara Jade'.

Not only did her taint, eyes and hair betray that she would leave puberty as a stunning, natural beauty (unlike most 16-year olds who usually got a little help from their parents' credit card.), she was also a very calm, reserved girl with wonderful manners and a natural when it came down to dancing.

Yet despite her fiery red hair and young age the girl was cold an d far to practical, as if she were a machine.

She opened the door and found the girl itself dressed and ready.

The emperor's assistant had informed her that her main job would be to make sure the girl remained faithful to her studies.

Her studies… another thing.

Every normal girl would break with this amount of work and she just took it in as if it were nothing.

8 different languages, mechanics, history and culture of all the main species, …

The 16-year old girl had a knowledge way beyond her governess which was something she apparently loved to show as well.

This would all be no problem for her governess, it was actually refreshing to see a 16-year old girl at court who was busy with knowledge instead of flirting with men twice their age.

What did bother her where those other courses.

Lightsaber practice, swimming, combat, shooting, …

It took an idiot with brains of a Bantha not to figure out that this girl wasn't just a pretty, little ward with a lot of intelligence.

She was being prepared for something and Force knew what that could be!

"Mrs. Celchu? You're staring into mid-air."

Erisi looked up at the girl and smiled.

"Sorry Lady Jade, my thoughts were elsewhere."

Mara looked at the woman . Distraction was a concept she didn't know, nor every wanted to know.

"I'm off to my shooting practice, you make sure that the maids clean my room decent this time?"

"Of course Lady Jade."

Mara nodded and left the room but stopped at the doorway.

"Tell them, that if they don't do it proper this time, I'll have to ask the emperor for replacements."

"Naturally Lady Jade."

Mara left the room and walked into the direction of the shooting range.

She liked to believe she was happy. She was!

She was the most honored of all girls in court.

Not only was she raised by the emperor himself, she was also being prepared for a task no one else would have.

She would be his personal hand.

The emperor had called her in last night and told her that in two months she would receive her first assignment.

Unusually for her, she couldn't help to feel excited. This would be it. In two months she would start what she had been preparing for her entire life.

She opened the door to the shooting range and stood still.

Instead of the old General Pertan, a young man was standing in the middle of the shooting range.

Mara wasn't that so different from other girls of her age, not to notice that this particular man was very handsome, very handsome indeed.

TO BE CONTINUED…

R&R


	2. Chapter 2

_Mara wasn't that so different from other girls of her age, not to notice that this particular man was very handsome, very handsome indeed._

But unlike many girls, her age, Mara Jade didn't start developing a crush on every single cute guy she met nor did she started squealing or giggling at the sight of one.

She noticed it and moved on, on a professional base. She was here to practice her shooting and the notion of her even thinking of a man that way never came to her mind. It was something the Emperor had been quite insistent on. Sure, she knew she was beautiful, but she was trained to use this beauty as a tool not as something to flaunt with, or at least not flaunt with for a reason.

'I take it you're the new shooting instructor?'

The man just nodded, he didn't seem to be a man of many words which was something Mara could certainly appreciate.

'Too many words waste time.' The emperor once said to her.

He turned his back towards her, facing a small table and grabbed one of the blasters.

'Show me what you got.' The man said, throwing the blaster at her.

Mara smirked, raised the blaster with one hand and started shooting the targets. She didn't look wetter or not she hit target, she knew she did so.

'That would've been very impressive… if the targets were still standing, were they stood yesterday.'

Mara turned around and couldn't believe what she saw.

The targets were standing on different places, and none of her bullets had hit their target. Well some of them did but she was just lucky that some of the targets were still in the same range. She had been trying so much to impress this new guy that she didn't even bother to check if her targets were in place. One of the most stupid faults she could make.

'Still it might not be 'very' impressive. It is quite impressive for a 16 year old. How long have you been learning to shoot.'

'Since I was 5.' Mara answered casually.

If the man was shocked by this answer, he didn't show it. Instead he walked up to her and stopped three feet away from her.

'May I?'

Mara just nodded and he went to stand behind her, letting one arm go around her waist and placing the other on her right arm, letting her raise her blaster. Mara felt a strange tingling feeling she couldn't quite place and so she dismissed it instantly. Unknown emotions had no place in her life. Her focus moved on the blaster she was holding in her hand and nothing more.

'You think your blaster is a tool, nothing more. You use it to shoot and place it back once it's purpose is done. You need to learn how to look at it as not just a tool but a part of yourself. This blaster is your friend, your ally.'

'What? You're some kind of blaster whisperer?'

Mara knew she could've found a better way to tell him of but feeling his breath on her face distracted her. Wait a minute? Distracted her? Nothing would ever distract Mara Jade!

She removed herself from him and went to face him.

'Sorry buddy boy, but I don't make friends, not even with blasters.'

'You make it sound like blasters are more valuable than humans.'

Mara just stared at him and he moved closer again, this time without asking permission. He stared at her for a while, as if he was examining her.

'I think you believe blasters are more like you than any human could ever be. Made out of steel, cold, practical and a deadly weapon.'

As if to prove his point rather than contradict him, Mara stared back at him with an ice cold look on her face.

'I think you're lucky you're bleeding on the ground by now.'

The man smirked. He smirked! The arrogant… !

She had just threatened him and he just smirked at her? She might be 16 years old and a girl but surely the emperor had enlightened him on a few… details. If not she was happy to point them out. But he had already backed up again.

'I suggest you do a bit of shooting, next lesson again, and the next, and the next, … until I'm satisfied. Until you see blasters the way I want you to see them.'

'Better bring some protection then, you're going to need it.'

_Short, short chapter I know. Next one will be longer… I think._

_R&R ___


End file.
